Words of wisdom: ‘Nothing guaranteed in horse racing
By EMMALEE C. TORISK
CANFIELD
Anything can happen in horse racing.
That’s what Doug Heasley of Salem likes to tell prospective bettors, anyway.
At 10:30 a.m. Saturday, just a half-hour before the Canfield Fair’s harness- racing post time, Heasley was on hand to share some advice gleaned from a quarter-century’s worth of involvement with the sport. About 20 fairgoers had gathered at the Concourse Stage for the free seminar on harness racing, which involves the racehorses’ racing at a specific gait and pulling a two-wheeled cart.
“In the beginning, do not spend a lot of money betting. There’s nothing guaranteed,” Heasley said. “Have fun. Bet $2.”
Heasley’s recommended approach was precisely the one that Jeffrey and Evelyn Armstrong of Albion, Pa., near Erie, planned to adopt.
Jeffrey explained that though Saturday was far from his first time placing a bet on harness racing — he’s been doing it off and on for the past 20 years, and usually about once a year — he wasn’t necessarily anticipating winning any money.
It’s like going to Las Vegas, he said. It’s entertainment, a fun activity — and the point is to have a good time.
He added that he uses the harness-racing program, available for $2 at the grandstand, to guide his choices.
Heasley explained that the program includes information about each of the racehorses, such as details of their previous races. Jeffrey said he looks at past race times and results, then tries to pick the horse that has been consistently fast.
His method works sometimes.
“You win some, you lose some,” Jeffrey noted. “If you come out with the same amount of money you came in with, you’re doing good.”
Evelyn, Jeffrey’s wife, said her method was much less precise.
She admitted not knowing a whole lot about horses or about the sport of harness racing; as a result, she places her bets on horses that look lean, or that are wearing a particular color, or that have a name she likes.
Despite her late introduction to the world of harness racing, Evelyn said she enjoys it and encourages others to try it out.
“You don’t need to be nervous,” she added.
Ricci Lee of Salem said she thinks horse racing gets in a person’s blood. Her grandfather used to have racehorses, she explained.
Plus, she likes to see the horses and how “pretty they are.” Her 3-year-old granddaughter, Shannon Black of East Palestine, loves them, as well.
Lee noted that her preferred method of betting is to select the long shot.
“If it’s 90 to 1, I bet it on,” she said. “You get a lot more money.”
Minutes before racing began, Walter Leininger of Greenford, who was standing trackside at the grandstand, said he’d bet on two horses — No. 2, Mighty Musclemania, and No. 4, Full of Dawn — in the first of 12 races. It was a 1-mile trot involving 2-year-old horses and geldings.
Leininger — who had placed a quinella wager, which involves selecting the first two horses to cross the finish line — spent $5 on each bet and said he’s been coming to the races for the past few years just to “kill some time.”
Though he consults the program and the odds — No. 2 and No. 4 had 7-2 and 2 odds, respectively — his picking methods aren’t all that scientific, he admitted.
Neither No. 2 nor No. 4 finished first.
“I lose more than win,” Leininger said, laughing.
Harness racing will take place again at noon Monday and will be preceded at 11:30 a.m. by a free trackside seminar concerning how to read a race program and how to wager.